Refreshment in English Pronunciation for (future) Teachers

Timetable

dates to be added

2 groups x 30h /20 students each

Module aim (aims)

 to refresh basics of British Pronunciation

to make Students aware of the influence of their native languages on their English performance

to encourage Students to use Standard English 

to lower Students' inhibitions and fears of public speaking

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

English level B2, basic knowledge of phonetics, willigness to cooperate with peer students and tutor, attendance is obligatory

 

Syllabus

Week 1: Introductory class. Information on credit requirements.
Week 2: Individual recordings and comments.

Week 3: Sounds revision: Place and manner of articulation, language specific differences.

Week 4: Plosives: Aspiration and voicing.
Week 5: Fricatives: differences in place and manner of articulation.
Week 6: Fricatives cont. Affricates and nasals.

Week 7: Short vowels: overview and practice.

Week 8: Weak forms and rhythm. Fluency practice 
Week 9: Long vowels: overview and practice.

Week 10: Long vowels cont. Short/long contrast. 
Week 11: Diphthongs. Easy onset vs. hard attack.
Week 12: Importance of resonance in a speaker’s voice. Nasal sounds: avoiding vowel     nasalization. Extra practice on /ŋ/. 
Week 13: Rules for word stress. Practice. 
Week 14: Word and sentence stress cont. Rhythm.

Week 15: Course sum up and feedback.

Reading list

Roach P. 2012 English Phonetics and Phonology, A practical Course, Cambridge: CUP

Vaughan-Rees M. 1994 Rhymes and Rhythm Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Vaughan-Rees M. 2003 Test Your: Pronunciation, Penguin English Guides, Pearson Education Limited